1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wingless aircraft and more particularly to such an aircraft in which the primary lift and flight control is achieved with movable control and lift airfoils mounted within two continuous parallel channels extending the length of the aircraft fuselage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of wingless aircraft have been proposed, but none has met the exacting requirements of modern day aviation. The primary difficulties of such aircraft lie in the lack of flight stability, inadequate control during takeoff and landing and in conditions of air turbulence, and insufficient lift to permit economical operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,645 to Wolcott describes a wingless aerodynamic vehicle which has a plenum chamber extending horizontally over substantially the entire upper surface of the vehicle and which is open across the top to the ambient surroundings of the vehicle. A top opening in the plenum has a number of elongated airfoils extending in spaced parallel relationship across the plenum. The upper surfaces of the airfoils are substantially coplanar with other while the lower surfaces are inclined thereto so that a series of elongated nozzles are formed between the airfoils which discharge into the surroundings substantially tangentially to the upper surfaces mentioned above. The discharges from the nozzles interact with one another to generate an overall lift effect which is adapted in relation to the weight of the vehicle to displace the vehicle in a direction generally perpendicular thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,266 to Bucher describes an aircraft without laterally extending wings. A supplemenatary wing is mounted on top of the streamlined body of a jet propelled aircraft. This wing is arcuate in cross section at the front and lateral sides are displaced from the fuselage of the aircraft. A plurality of channels extend longitudinally of the wing. The channels are open at the front so that air passes in freely. The air passing through the wing exerts a lifting effect. In addition, it is stated that the air under the wing at both sides exerts a further stabilizing and lifting effect. The patent also describes the use of movable flaps in the channels of the wing to be used for braking purposes.
Other types of wingless aircraft, that is, aircraft without laterally extending wing surfaces have been described in the literature for many years. The practical difficulties that have prevented such aircraft from being operated successfully include: lack of sufficient lift, lack of economy, inadequate control and, most importantly, lack of stability under takeoff, flight, and landing conditions.